Best Cellphone Plans
Based on In-Depth Reviews
- 200+Hours of research
- 20+Sources used
- 12Companies vetted
- 52Plans reviewed
- 15Top
Picks
- Unlimited data is preferable, but watch out for high-speed data caps
- 5G promises great things, but consumers will have to wait a couple of years to enjoy the benefits
- Don’t expect cellphone plan prices to decline
- Carriers that claim coast-to-coast coverage may not offer the best service in your area
How we analyzed the best Cellphone Plans
Our Top Picks: Cellphone Plans Reviews
Verizon’s Beyond Unlimited review
Best for Families
Smartphones and internet access have become an irreplaceable staple of everyday life. Access to information has become so important that the UN declared internet access a human right. We live in an age where there are even apps that alert kids (and their parents) to pending schoolwork and 96% of Americans own a cellphone of some kind. It is normal, then, for families to look for cellphone plans that keep them connected to the mobile world at an affordable price. So we reviewed cellphone plans for the new connected American family.
Verizon’s Beyond Unlimited plan was the clear winner. We chose this plan because it allows parents to add a kid’s line that includes safety controls and sufficient amount of data for the month.
Screen shot of verizon.com, September 6, 2019.
This plan includes:
- Unlimited data (customers are guaranteed 22GB of high-speed data)
- HD streaming
- 15 GB of 4G LTE hotspot data
- Unlimited talk and text to US, Mexico and Canada
- Apple Music account
Just Kids plan includes:
- 5GB of 4G LTE data for the month
- Parental control
- Unlimited talk & text for up to 20 contacts
As of now, prices per line for this monthly plan range from $50 to $85 depending on how many lines the customer needs. Kids’ lines added to the plan range from $35 to $55. As with all plans on the market, these prices don’t include the device or the device’s optional insurance. Like the other companies that comprise the Big Four, Verizon offers two-year payment plans with 0% APR and bring-your-own-phone programs. The other option is paying for the device up front.
About Verizon
Verizon owns the second largest network in the US, following closely behind AT&T. The company boasts around 150 million subscribers. As reported by Tutela, a company that collects network and device data and offers insights into the industry, Verizon’s network performance has ranked first in the mobile experience and 4G technologies categories from January 2019 through the present (July 2019). With this in mind, it is no wonder that Verizon is a household name.
However, this doesn’t mean Verizon is a perfect company. The Pennsylvania Attorney General brought a lawsuit against the company for over some of its consumer practices. When we looked at customer reviews, we found a trend of customers complaining about misrepresentation, particularly about not honoring terms offered.
Similar Family Plans to Consider From Other Carriers
Metro PCS’ Unlimited High-Speed Plan: This plan is a prepaid unlimited plan at low cost. The plan includes Google One and Amazon Prime. Metro PCS is a Mobile Virtual Network Operator, MVNO for short, that operates through the T-Mobile network.
AT&T’s Unlimited & More Plan: AT&T is the largest US operating network. AT&T’s plans are pricier than most, yet its superior reliability and coverage are not to be ignored. If AT&T offers a great experience in your area and money is a non-issue, it should be considered seriously.
Sprint’s Unlimited Premium review
Best For Millennials & Gen Zers
A lot has been said about the first global generation and its successor. And some of it is actually true, such as the fact that Millennials and Gen Zers prefer texting over talking or how essential smartphones are for both generations. It is notable how dependent on the internet are these generations. Also, it just takes a quick look at Twitter to see one important obstacle the global generations have: they are broke.
Taking into account these generations’ budgets and connectivity needs, we looked for plans that offered the best value possible. Sprint’s Unlimited Premium plan checked all our boxes.
Screen shot of sprint.com, September 6, 2019.
This plan includes:
- Unlimited high-speed data
- 100 GB of LTE hotspot data
- HD streaming
- Unlimited talk & text
- Unlimited talk, text & data in Mexico and Canada
- Hulu account
- Tidal account
- Amazon Prime account
- Lookover account
As of this writing, prices per line for this monthly plan are around $80. As with all plans on the market, the price doesn’t include the smartphone or the smartphone’s optional insurance. Sprint offers financing at 0% APR, like the rest of the Big Four, yet these are for a 18-month period instead of the usual 2-year period. They have bring-your-own-phone programs and trade in programs. The other option is to pay for the device up front.
About Sprint
Sprint is the fourth largest carrier in the US. Its network has earned a reputation for being the least reliable of the Big Four carriers. Last year, the company admitted that its network had performance issues and they didn’t have the capital to invest in fixing the problems.
That might all change soon when they merge with T-Mobile under its magenta banner. This merger is expected to affect how the industry leaders compete among themselves, but for Sprint customers, it might bring better coverage and performance. While Sprint has been lagging behind its competitors, T-Mobile has steadily enhanced its performance and reliability as shown in Tutela’s data.
Similar Plans to Consider for Millennials & Gen Zers
Verizon’s Beyond Unlimited Plan: This plan offers 22GB of high-speed data and 15 GB of high-speed hotspot data. It also includes unlimited calls, text and data for Mexico and Canada.
T-Mobile’s Magenta Plan: High-speed data might slow down after reaching a 50GB cap. This plan also includes a Netflix Account and Gogo.
Consumer Cellular review
Best For Seniors
There has been a steady increase in the number of seniors who own cellphones. What’s more, there’s an increase in seniors using smartphones. In 2017, the Pew Research Center reported that 80% of seniors owned cellphones, and 42% out of the 80% of them owned smartphones. Jumping to 2019, 91% of seniors owned cellphones, and 53% out of the 91% of them owned smartphones. Even when seniors are the age group least dependent on smartphones for internet connection, it’s important to note that their dependency keeps increasing year by year.
With this in mind, we looked at cellphone plans that offered a decent amount of data, talk and text for seniors. We found Consumer Cellular’s plan, which is targeted to seniors, to be the best one.
Screen shot of consumercellular.com, September 6, 2019.
This plan includes:
- Up to 20 GB of high-speed data
- Unlimited talk & text
The plan’s price depends on how many GB of data customers choose to get. For a 20GB plan, the most expensive plan as of now, the price is around $60 per month. If a customer is interested in a plan without data, the price would be around $20 per month. As with most prepaid services, customers can buy their devices up front or bring their own device. This company offers an array of devices and cellphones, including devices geared towards caregiving.
About Consumer Cellular
Consumer Cellular offers products targeted specifically to seniors and their needs. They operate through AT&T’s and T-Mobile’s networks.
What makes them stand out is their #1 Customer Service Among Non-Contract Value Wireless Providers award given by J.D. Power. Usually, most mobile users don’t particularly care about customer service. However, in the case of seniors, we judge this to be a valuable asset. Many seniors don’t find technology as intuitive as younger generations, so this company’s willingness to have a great customer service team is a plus.
Similar Plans to Consider
Republic Wireless: This MVNO operates through T-Mobile and Sprint networks. It’s plans are particularly cheap if customers are looking for a small data plan.
Mint Mobile’s 3GB 4G LTE Plan: This plan includes unlimited talk & text and the 3 GB of high-speed data its name suggests. Price can go down as low as $15 per month if customers pay 12 months up front.
T-Mobile Magenta Plus Plan review
Best Unlimited Plan
Unlimited data plans are great for consumers who stream a lot of videos or connect to the internet through their smartphone’s hotspot. If you depend on your phone for an internet connection, you should consider an unlimited plan instead of more restrictive data plans. When you want to connect to the internet using another device (such as a laptop or a tablet), using your cellphone’s hotspot, or tethering, is more secure than using public Wi-Fi.
However, choosing an unlimited plan might not be as easy as it looks. There are many cellphone plans that market themselves as unlimited everything, but that is rarely the case. Some of these plans don’t include things like HD streaming or hotspot data. In fact, something that all unlimited plans have in common is a disclaimer that reads along the lines of “you might notice slower speeds after using the allotted X amount of GB for the month.” Taking all this into consideration, we looked at many “unlimited” plans to see which came on top.
What makes T-Mobile’s Magenta Plus stand out as an unlimited data plan is the great value customers get for their money.
This plan includes:
- Unlimited talk, text, and data
- Largest 5G network in the US
- Free unlimited 5G network access (actual speeds depend on device and location)
- HD streaming
- Voicemail to text
- Dedicated customer care team
- 20 GB of 4G LTE hotspot data
- 5 GB 4G data in Mexico and Canada
- Unlimited in-flight Wi-Fi
- Netflix account with two qualified connected lines
- T-Mobile Tuesdays bonuses for customers
As of this writing, prices for this monthly plan range from $40 to $85 per line depending on how many lines the customer needs. Taxes and fees are included in the price. However, the price doesn’t include the device or the device’s optional insurance. Smartphones are expensive, no matter which carrier you switch to. Unfortunately, popular smartphones, like an iPhone Xs or a Samsung Galaxy S10, have price tags around $1,000.00 or more. Customers can bring their own devices, pay for the device upfront, or choose a payment plan.
If you choose to purchase your phone from your cellular carrier, you should be aware that your payment plan will be based on both the cost of the device and your credit profile.Customers with than less-than-stellar credit scores might need to pay a portion of the smartphone’s price upfront, and pay the rest in installments—usually over 24 months. If customers have a great credit score, they might not need to make a downpayment. The good news is that, unlike other installment purchases you make, T-Mobile doesn't charge interest on your purchase. That's a good argument for buying your phone from your carrier and not charging it to your high-interest VISA card.
About T-Mobile
T-Mobile is the third-largest cellular carrier in the US. T-Mobile has also been an innovator in the category and was the first company to offer unlimited data plans. Other carriers followed suit a short time later. Over the past several years, the company has invested heavily in its 5G network. They now offer the widest 5G coverage in the nation. The company holds that its "layer cake" approach to building its 5G network results in better overall performance than competitors offer.
Reputation
Telecom companies have a reputation for unsatisfactory customer service, and we were not surprised that all major carriers have dismal ratings on many customer review sites. We found that T-Mobile customers’ recent complaints are often about policies that make it difficult to leave the carrier and the practice of offering promotions that are not honored.
All major carriers in the US have had security issues in the past. T-Mobile has suffered three in the past three years.It’s a little disconcerting to know that the carriers don't always discover or report these issues on their own.. Unfortunately, cyber-attacks are on the rise around the world and telecom companies will keep being targeted. It’s important to be aware of any security issues your carrier might be facing.
Straight Talk’s Ultimate Unlimited review
Best For Tweens & Teens
Parents may debate how much time is appropriate for teens and tweens to spend on their smartphones. But few argue anymore about the necessity of having their kids connected. Some parents are happy to equip their kids with the latest and greatest devices and the most robust cell phone plans. But others want to set some limits, not only in terms of what kids can do with their phones and how much time they spend on them, but also how much another cell phone user adds to the family budget. With this in mind, we looked for affordable plans that meet kids' communication needs without breaking the bank. Straight Talk offers prepaid plans that are capable of doing both.
Straight Talk’s Ultimate Unlimited plan was the winner with a combination of unlimited talk, text, and data, a reasonable amount of data at 4G speed, 10 GB of hotspot data, and a price tag of $55 per month.
Screenshot of straighttalk.com, September 6, 2019.
Straight Talk gives customers the option of bringing their own phones or purchasing a phone along with cellular service. The Straight Talk store offers the highest-end phones out there, but they also offer older models and reconditioned phones for budget-minded customers. The company offers 24-month financing on phone purchases without requiring a credit check, which may make it easier for some customers to add service. You can also purchase a phone outright from Straight Talk and save on interest charges.
What sets Straight Talk apart from its competitors is that they operate using all of the Big Three networks, offering national coverage (99.6%) at an affordable price.
Straight Talk is a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO), which means they operate through any or, and in this company’s case, all Big Three networks. This doesn’t necessarily translate to MVNO customers enjoying the same quality of performance as Big Three customers. Straight Talk doesn't currently allow customers to connect to 5G networks, but the company's website states that 5G is coming soon. We will discuss MVNOs in more detail in the Helpful Information section of this article.
We don’t want to suggest that MVNOs are bad carriers. They definitely serve a purpose—providing low-cost access to quality cell phone service. What's more, MVNO plans generally have better customer ratings and many of them perform very well. There are many such carriers to choose from and Straight Talk is often called out as one of the best.
More insight into our methodology
Performance
No consumer ever has chosen a cellphone plan hoping for subpar performance. Performance, which we will define as the combination of reliability and speed, is the single most important thing. And that makes sense, considering the essential tool cellphones are in this day and age.
We took a special look at the Big Four’s performance--AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint. We also looked at MVNOs’ performance, since these carriers rely on the Big Four to offer their coverage and data. We will explain in detail our findings in the Helpful Information section down below.
We are aware that, unfortunately, not all networks work as well as advertised. Depending on which area of the US you live, you will notice that one or two carriers are preferred. This is the reason we also feature similar high-value plans of other carriers next to our top picks.
Price
After performance, price is the second most important thing for most people. And for some, how affordable a plan is might be more important than performance. The truth is, cellphones and cellphone plans are expensive, and we need them to do almost everything. We rely on these devices for working, online banking, searching for jobs, reading the news, and so much more. For this reason, we looked for cellphone plans that offer the most value. Some of the top picks aren’t the cheapest plans, but we made sure that consumers would get the biggest bang for their buck.
Trustworthiness
Most carriers don’t enjoy a decent reputation with their customers. We knew right from the start that customer reviews would be unsatisfactory. Yet, we still read them to see if there were any trends that suggested their practices were less than fair.
We also looked into any security issues in 2018 and 2019. There is a worrisome rise in cyber-attacks. Carriers are privy to a lot of customer information, and as such, they will be targets of these types of attacks. We suggest consumers check their online cellphone accounts frequently and watch out for any suspicious fees or activity. We also suggest keeping an eye on the news for any security breaches their carrier might suffer in the future.
Helpful information about Cellphone Plans
If you’re thinking of switching carriers or subscribing to a better plan with your carrier, we’ve got you covered. We have researched the state of things in the mobile industry, and below you will find important information every consumer should be aware of. As consumers ourselves, we asked the important questions, starting with...
Why Are Cellphone Plans so (Darn) Expensive?
Cellphones have become a necessity, an essential tool for accomplishing many ordinary activities of daily living. Yet, cellphone plans are not as affordable as they should be. If you panic as you open your bill or when that autopay hits your account and you ask yourself why you pay so much for your service, you are not alone. In fact, Professor Maria Faccio of Purdue’s University’s Krannert School of Management and Professor Luigi Zingales of The University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business asked that same question. Curious as to why Americans pay such excessive prices for their cellphone plans compared to citizens of other developed countries, they prepared a working paper titled Political Determinants of Competition in the Mobile Telecommunication Industry.
Their study looks at how government regulations that promote or discourage competition between carriers affect affordability. It concludes that a pro-competition regulatory scheme tends to result in lower consumer prices. The evidence presented in the paper debunks arguments against pro-competition regulation, such as that lower prices come at the cost of service or innovation. As Professor Zingales put it, "The sure answer is when you promote more competition...you observe low prices for consumers but you do not observe less quality service or less investment."
Professor Luigi Zingales of The University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business
A well-known principle of economics is that the more players in the game, the more competition there is and the lower prices fall. Years ago, there were more players in the mobile industry. Today, four major networks dominate the market. Unfortunately, that number will soon be reduced to three with the impending merger between T-Mobile and Sprint. Even though the merger was not part of Professor Zingale’s study, he was kind enough to lend us his insight on the matter. “I see that all the evidence is that when you have a concentration from four to three, that concentration leads to higher prices, and that would be particularly problematic in the US,” he said.
After fighting staunch opposition from the government and campaigning for years, T-Mobile and Sprint got their merger approved. To proceed with it, these companies will have to relinquish some assets, among other concessions, and help Dish, the satellite TV company, become a fourth national carrier. Some see this merger as a good thing, putting their faith in T-Mobile's creative CEO and Dish’s success. However, there is genuine concern that this merger will prove costly for consumers. After all, only time will tell if Dish will become strong competitor to supplant Sprint.
From our point of view as consumers, this merger poses a danger to our wallets. Consumers are significantly affected by the cellphone carriers’ pricing decisions. We can only hope that Dish or some other companies become strong players and help to revive more vigorous competition in the cellphone carrier market. As Professors Zingales and Faccio point out, there isn't much evidence that limiting competition in the wireless market produces better quality of service, more investment in the communications network, or higher incomes for the workers.
Is It All Talk, or Do Carriers Deliver?
One of the most difficult parts of choosing among cellphone plans is that assessing a carrier's performance is a complex and highly technical matter. It involves measuring both speed and reliability. For help with that, we reached out to Chris Mills, Head of Industry Analysis at Tutela Technologies, an independent crowdsourced data company that has produced many reports on wireless network performance all over the world.
Chris Mills has years of experience working in the telecoms industry as both a journalist and analyst, and his research at Tutela is focused on providing insight into the world's mobile networks.
Tutela has determined five key performance indicators that measure a network’s performance and set thresholds for each of them:
- Download speeds (how many bits of data per second can be delivered to your device);
- Upload speeds (how many bits of data per second can be sent from your device);
- Latency (how much time is needed for a packet of data to get from one place to another);
- Jitter (how much variation there is in the latency of one packet and another); and
- Packet loss (how often packets of data are lost in transmission).
As Mills explained these metrics, “The idea is that if a test passes all of the thresholds, then any common application, whether that's Netflix, Skype of anything else you want to do, you will be able to do it if it’s above those thresholds.” Mills went on to explain that these thresholds have been set to establish a satisfactory quality of the user experience. “Performance is more than speed,” he said.
How did the Big Four carriers measure up? Verizon provided the most consistent quality in 2018, and according to this year’s monthly reports, the company is keeping their top spot. T-Mobile’s performance has improved and keeps improving in 2019. The biggest carrier, AT&T, lags behind Verizon and T-Mobile. And Sprint, unsurprisingly, remains the weakest carrier of the four.
What if your carrier is not one of the Big Four? Network operators, mainly MVNOs, that operate using the Big Four networks tend to lag behind in the quality of their service. We found this unsurprising, especially considering MVNOs tend to offer cheaper services than the national carriers. The Tutela report shows that speeds for the MVNOs that run on T-Mobile and Sprint networks are barely below the speeds of customers of the host networks experience. On the other hand, MVNOs that run on Verizon and AT&T networks saw significant gaps on their speeds when compared to the host’s networks.
While some MVNOs’ marketing might be a tad misleading, they are not lying when they claim consumers will be covered by their host networks. “Your coverage will be the same, and that's true... You will have access to the same towers, but the precise details of the experience that you get while connected to the network might not be identical. The coverage is going to be the same,” Mills said. MVNOs can claim the coverage, yet that might not translate to an equal experience for a customer of the host network. When switching to an MVNO, it’s important to read through the terms and conditions, as with all contracts, to be aware of the experience you’re signing up for.
All of this doesn’t mean that MVNOs are terrible carriers. They usually are more affordable than their Big Four counterparts. Also, they tend to have more favorable reviews than the bigger companies. Many people prefer them. At the end of the day, your experience might depend on your region. And it’s the same thing with the Big Four! For example, Sprint might be the least impressive of the national carriers, yet they might be the most popular network in your area.
Look, Here Comes 5G!
5G seems to be all the rage right now. And how could it not? 5G promises great speed and reliability, helping make things like remote surgery possible. We have already reached the full potential of our 4G LTE network, and 5G is the next exciting step. However, there are a couple of hurdles to get over, such as the time it will take for 5G to roll out and for developers to create 5G apps. “I think 5G will be rolled out faster than 4G,” said Mills. “I think people are going to start buying 5G phones faster and seeing the 5G icon at the top of their phone, but when it comes at the real benefit of the 5G... that is going to take more time. And specially for consumers, a lot of the benefits of 5G are going to be new apps and services... that will take even longer.”
This is certainly consistent with the few test drives we have seen since 5G launched. The future is so close, yet still out of reach. There is still a heavy investment in the networks and equipment to be made. Add to that, the reliability issues 5G has to fix. It will take a couple of years for the implementation to be completed and for us to enjoy the innovations 5G will facilitate.
For the very short term, we will have to make do with our old 4G LTE networks. But don’t dismiss them yet! Mills noted that “[LTE] was never designed to be one standard that would remain the same. It's been getting better, and better, and better over time. The 4G networks, the LTE networks we have now are much better than the ones that launched in 2012.”
What to Look out for When Making the Switch
If you are sick and tired of your carrier and you’re ready to make the switch, keep in mind these things so you enjoy a smoother process:
Cellphones that use 2G and 3G networks run on GSM or CDMA technology. This means that your unlocked phone might not be compatible with your carrier of choice. AT&T and T-Mobile run on GSM, and Verizon and Sprint run on CDMA. If you are switching to an MVNO, it is important to ask them which technology they use. Another thing to keep in mind is that carriers have the obligation to unlock your phone when you finish paying for it.
However, carriers such as Verizon have stopped accepting customers for 2G and 3G. As Mills explained, “The future is all going to be LTE and 5G, so no one is going to try to integrate GSM or CDMA.” Older technologies will be phased out in the coming years. This is a good thing, because if you travel, you won’t have to worry anymore if your cellphone is compatible with a country’s networks. LTE and 5G will be the standard worldwide.
Does everyone need an unlimited plan? The short answer is no. If you are a low-data user, you can shave off a couple of dollars from your monthly bill by choosing a limited plan. To know how much data you use, you can look into the settings on your phone. But if you’re shocked by how much data you use, don’t feel bad. Last year, there was a 25% increase from the year prior in data consumption. That is why some carriers don’t offer limited data plans anymore. If you want to switch to a limited data plan, try to get a plan that has a high-speed data cap high enough for you to enjoy your wireless experience.
Cellphone plans’ prices, features and terms change all the time. It’s important to read the contract, and in the case of prepaid plans, take time to read the terms and conditions. Always request a copy of your contract. If you are offered a promotion, make sure it is fully explained to you and honored. If available, request the literature and terms of the promotion.
Also, see if your carrier offers discounts and ask for them. Some carriers offer discounts for veterans, policemen, seniors, and more. Consumers can try to negotiate their rates with the carrier, particularly if they have been a customer for a long time. We encourage consumers to get any and all discounts they can.
A lot has been said and considered here, and yet this is the most important piece of advice. If you want to ensure you have a top-notch quality of service, make sure you listen to what the people around you have to say about their carriers. Many times, performance depends on where you live. This is why we also featured in our top picks similar plans from different carriers for each category, to offer choices to consumers like you.
FAQs about Cellphone Plans
What is the difference between the 4G and LTE icons on your phone?
Consumers may own a 4G phone and be connected to a 4G network. However, stating they are enjoying the benefits of LTE’s continuing innovation may be a stretch. Carriers may choose to define any upgrade or special benefit under the LTE banner. In fact, there was some controversy back in 2017 when AT&T chose to name their 4G LTE-A network 5G E. Even if consumers had 4G phones, they could still have the icon for 5G E.